Neo watched it happen before him with horror stricken across his face, his heart pounding in his ears. He had seen nothing of the like before, and he wasn't too interested in sticking around to find out what the rest of the creature looked like. Alas, both of them were frozen as the head wrapped around the corner, a massive, canine and reptilian mixed skull being tugged at by the slime around its face. The eyes were glowing yellow pits of hate that stared right at them, saliva dripping from its mouth steadily as it let out a shrill scream.
The screech sent Neo into action. He reached out and grabbed the door handles, slamming the entrance shut. He turned to Quilliene, who was still in shellshock, and grabbed her wrist. He started sprinting down the hall, dragging her behind before he turned sharply into one of the rooms she had opened beforehand. Rushing inside, he let go of her, shutting the door off from the hallway just before they heard something slam against the throne room doors.
Neo glanced over to look at her, his face filled with bewilderment. He was utterly confused, beginning to pace as he started to mumble under his breath. "Um… Uh… Okay… Okay, wow. I was told about the demon servants, which I thought was just a phrasing, but they failed to mention monsters…" Quilliene was quiet in his nervous rant, flinching at the rhythmic bangs of the creature behind closed doors. Finally, he stopped pacing, taking a deep breath in through his nose as he spun around to face her. "Okay! So, obviously, I'm not experienced in fighting… whatever that is–"
"Wyvern," She corrected softly.
"-Sure, that, so…" He paused, his eyes lighting up. "You have magick, right? I saw your eyes glow at the estate. What kind do you have?"
She stared at him in her silence, and he waved his hands to urge her to speak. "Various assortments. Elemental, telekinesis… though there is much I was supposed to learn from the Ravenheart Legacy."
"Okay, let me rephrase that," He said, clapping his hands together as a shrill screech came from outside. "Do you have anything that will kill it?"
She gazed at him, narrowing her eyebrows as she parted her lips. "Of course I do. It's a class A monster – easy to kill."
He blinked. "Whatever that means," He said, turning to the door as there was a final, echoing bang. "Here's the plan. I distract it, to the best of my ability, because I'm pretty positive I won't get close enough to touch it for longer than a second before it kills me. Meanwhile, you shoot whatever abilities you have at it and get the damn thing down. Deal?"
A look of understanding came over Quilliene, her shoulders slumping as she finally relaxed a little bit. Her face took on the expression of a calm rage that overtook the terror that once laid there. Her hands gripped into fists as her eyes flickered violet, purple energy swarming around her.
"Don't tell me what to do, Neo," She hissed, walking towards the door.
Neo glanced at her, then quickly placed himself between her and the entrance to the hall. Wet, thunderous steps could be heard as he was so close to the door, narrowing his eyebrows at her in silence. They stared at each other in argumentative quiet as the footfalls came nearer, and she squinted at him care-fully.
Finally, she scowled, saying through grit teeth, "Don't let it catch you."
He smiled, responding quietly with, "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
As the steps passed the door, a deep growl resonated through the walls, making both of them tense. They waited as it remained there for a moment, before it slowly started down the hall again. Neo let out a held breath, waiting until he deemed it far enough away – and when he did, he nodded to Quilliene. She nodded in response.
Then, he flung open the door. Rushing out, she saw him cup his hands over his mouth and yell, "Hey, you bloody wanker!" That's when she heard the bellowing screech, Neo letting out an, "Oh, he didn't like that," Before turning and bolting towards the throne room.
Quilliene shifted to the side of the entrance as the squelching and twisting of the bulbous creature could be heard, rolling past her door and giving her a glimpse of it up close. Neo was right – there was no way he would be able to touch the Wyvern and not be dead within seconds.
She took note of its watery form, but also knew very much that because of what it was made from, it would be immune to fire. She knew one way to kill it - which was ripping it apart telekinetically - but that would require a mass amount of mana and she was too angry to focus on it enough to do it. So, she opted for another solution.
Her highness stepped out of the room, watching as the wyvern chased after the rather speedy Neo. She stood with her feet apart, twisting one wrist, then the other, and with a quick flourish from each side she started whispering under her breath in Latin. Water started lifting from the vases and dehydrating from the flowers, floating up in streams that gathered close to her as her eyes started shimmering blue. Extending her hand harshly, she shot the beam of water in a quick slash against the creature.
The wyvern was splashed, and it paused in its sprint after Neo, shaking and shrivelling. Alas, the form became more bulbous, dripping excessively. Despite being bigger, it also seemed to grow slower as it continued galloping after her bodyguard. Neo shot into the throne room, turning around the corner tightly as the monster screeched and followed. Quilliene chased them, grabbing her skirt and hoisting it up slightly as she bolted towards the doors.
She appeared just in time to watch, with no longer glowing eyes, Neo jump up the steps to the thrones. He tried to ring around them, but the wyvern was faster, stabbing into the male throne and forcing him to stumble backwards away from it. He backtracked as the beast once more circled the other way, and Neo hopped down the way he came. The wyvern, apparently confused as it lost track of him, screeched before seeing him cross the room, following after quickly.
Quilliene's brown eyes once more shimmered blue, glancing at the two tall dragon trees that mirrored each other at the doors. Once more, she pulled the moisture from them, gritting her teeth. Instead of shooting another beam, though, she formed a ring around the wyvern with a twist of her arms above her head.
It tightened around it, stopping it in its tracks as it reared up and screeched, trying to flap its wings but failing to break the hold. As it flailed and struggled, though, the water slowly dissolved into its form. It grew bigger, but that time in a much more watery figure that spun around with the fog which was turning into a hot mist.
When free of its bonds, it flopped down on all four legs, and slowly turned to look at Quilliene. It started to stalk forward towards the entryway, growling lowly. Quilliene took a cautious step backwards as Neo stopped, glancing at her, and then looked around. His eyes settled on a suit of armour, ripping the spear from the metal grasp. As the wyvern began its charge, though considerably slower, Neo reared back and threw the spear with accuracy that could only be trained for.
The spear passed through the creature's head, but it got its attention as it skidded to a stop almost directly in front of Quilliene. It slowly turned around, looking back at him in annoyance, to which Neo responded with a middle finger in its direction. It screeched, so loud it made both of them flinch, as it started towards him again.
As Quilliene recomposed herself, she took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she tried to focus her anger into one place. As her gaze showed itself once more, it was glowing a striking yellow, as she flourished both hands in front of her. They started to tingle, and soon enough, were surrounded with electricity. The monster bowled over Neo as she prepared herself, shooting out a shock of lighting that thundered throughout the entire grounds.
As the bolt of lightning sunk into its form, it screamed, throwing its head back as Neo covered his face. As it screeched, sparks flying through its form, it reared down and lashed out at the person beneath it in a last-ditch effort to do whatever it was there for. Neo flinched to the side, and its teeth punctured in his shoulder harshly.
"You motherf–!"
His words were cut off suddenly as the electric current ran from the monster into him, and he tensed up. The creature slowly began to dissolve, turning into water as the mist scattered, bones clattering to the ground around him. The water ended up soaking him completely, and all that remained was a pool of liquid, bones, and a jaw that fell loose in his shoulder and clatter to the ground next to his head. His once closed wound was open again.
A sigh escaped Quilliene's lips as the creature fell away, contemplating if she should check on Neo or not. "Are you still alive?" She decided to call out, hoisting up her skirt and walking into the throne room a little ways towards him.
"I'm…" He panted, waving her off before his arm fell limp to the floor and he stared at the ceiling. "I'm fine, I just… need a moment."
She stopped halfway towards him, looking up towards the thrones in silence before she spoke. "That thing did only half of the damage inside. As for the rest… I do not even want to know what the hell it was… Nor do I care…" She glanced at him, her eyes cold and full of anger as she turned and surged back outside of the mansion.
Neo watched her leave with one open eye, closing them both as she disappeared. He couldn't move, so he didn't follow after like he was supposed to. A few minutes passed, and after that, he was finally able to drag himself outside of the throne room and flop down in a seated position against the wall. He was quiet, staring almost directly opposite of him at the dead dragon tree.
That was when he came to a realisation. He wasn't even supposed to be the princess's bodyguard anymore, since her parents were gone. He could leave, and they could try to stop him, but it wouldn't be the first time he murdered a large number of people to get out of such a specific castle.
He turned his head, watching the doors, wanting to leave and knowing he could take the guards outside and just be gone. Quilliene could obviously take care of herself – she didn't need him. He didn't want to be there, protecting a person who didn't need it. There was no reason to stay; absolutely nothing was keeping him from walking through the doors and just plain leaving.
Even so, he didn't move. He tried to talk it up to the fact every inch of his body was in pain from the shock, but that wasn't the reason. He didn't know why, but he didn't leave the hall. He failed at his chance to go, no matter how much he wanted to or how hard he pushed himself to get up and walk out. He sat there, dripping and miserable, staring at the doors for what felt like an eternity – before Quilliene reappeared.
She walked down the hall, a flock of three guards and four servants behind her, not even glancing at him as she passed by and stood at the entrance of the room. Putting a hand up to her mouth, she placed a finger over her lips, whispering in a language that was unknown to him before she spoke a single word;
"Dimittis."
His eyes flickered to the throne room, where he watched the bodies of the soldiers and servants begin to dissipate. They tore away at themselves, the blood and all disappearing into ash. It was what he was told about – the demon servants and guards, after they died, would finish their contract and return from whence they came. He was about as surprised at the fact that demons existed as anyone would be. It was not a regular aspect of the world, and was just as strange as using magick.
"Remove them," Quilliene said after the ashes were burned into embers, then disappeared, waving her hand at the thrones.
The servants bustled forward, two of them at each person. One would take up their legs, the other their shoulders, and would carry them out of the room. Quilliene didn't even flinch as they passed her by, walking into the room with silence staking her tongue. She slowly approached the thrones, climbing the steps while holding her skirt up.
Stopping at the bloody thrones, brushing her fingers along the arms, she stopped at the queen's. She plucked the crown – a silver circlet that had two pieces standing up on each side, twisting and overlapping coils surrounding a purple amethyst – from the top of the seat and placed it on her head. She turned, sitting down and crossing her legs, leaning back as she took a deep breath. The three guards came forward, and the four maids returned, all to kneel at her feet.
Neo stared at her in shocked silence, slowly standing up and coming forward into the doorframe, leaning against it with his arms crossed. He didn't move – simply stood there and watched her. Why did he stay? He could have left, but he didn't. He called himself a masochist in his mind, gritting his teeth; he failed to understand his very own actions.
He was slightly surprised by how well Quilliene was taking her parents' death. Then again, from what little he knew about her from how short a time he had been with her, she seemed rather stoic and heartless. He was aware she hadn't seen or spoken to her parents for many years, so perhaps it didn't hurt her as much as it should have.
Yet, he could tell there was something behind her eyes - and as he paid closer attention to her, he quickly realised what it was. Pure and utter rage filled her brown, shimmering purple gaze, and her aura gave off an angry, cold presence. Energy seemed to just spread off of her as she glared, purple spikes taking form around the room and stabbing into the metal knights that lined the walls. It was as if she couldn't hold it back any longer.
"The previous King and Queen are deceased," She sighed, scanning those who knelt before her. "And, as the child and rightful heir, the throne goes towards me." She uncrossed her legs, leaning back against the throne as she spoke slowly, her tone menacing. "I promise - whoever or whatever murdered them is going to pay. This was not the work of a mere Wyvern, wherever it came from. I'll rip out their hearts and crush them until they turn to dust if I have to. Is that clear?"
Many voices filled the room after she said it all, but they were not the tones of humans. No, they were demonic - dark and harsh, like dragging vocal cords against gravel behind a driving vehicle. "Yes, my queen," was what they spoke in unison, and Neo could have sworn he saw something strange. Peculiar, dark shadows formed behind those who kneeled, casted doubled by the light. Those with wings, talons, and claws. It disappeared as quickly as it came when he blinked, but he knew; the human facade they put on was not their true form.
"Neo," Quilliene spoke, and his attention was snapped back up to her. She was glowering at him, as if about to unleash a rage upon him that he had never known. "My parents hired you. So, as unfortunate as it is, you are going to work alongside me as my bodyguard, as that was their last wish. Why do you think all these demons are still here?" She waved at those bent down before her, lowering her hand back on the armrest, almost sneering. "The contract falls when the bloodline ends. That is what you agreed to with my family.
"Until I fall," She straightened her back slightly, inhaling as if doing so would snatch away his soul. "You are mine to command." Bitter cruelty resounded in her voice, and she raised an eyebrow. "Any questions?"
Neo stared into her eyes, wishing that he had departed when his chance was given. He said nothing for a moment, wondering if he even should, before he let out a sigh. "No," He said simply, keeping his gaze traced upon her.
"Good," She said softly, before raising her voice. "Now leave. All of you. I want to be alone while I do a few things before I rest. Close the door and lock it behind you. If you wish to stay," She stood up, her aura growing fiercer, her eyes glowing brighter. "Stay somewhere you will not get hurt."
Neo remained by the door as the guards and servants rose to their feet and cleared the room, going past him with heads held high. His gaze didn't leave Quilliene's until everyone had left the room, and then he took a step in retreat as he uncrossed his arms. He watched her as two guards positioned themselves on either door, pulling them shut - but his gaze didn't leave hers until she was closed away.
One of them locked the double entrance, then they walked off down the hall. His eyes rested on the entrance, unfaltering, as if he was still watching her. After a few seconds of silence passed, he finally moved, placing his back against the right wall and sliding down to a sitting position.
That was when it began.
He could see the purple light crackling and exploding from the slit underneath the doorway, the sound of crushing and ripping heard from inside. A shrill yell of pure agony erupted, pouring throughout the entirety of the grounds and echoing off of the walls. Neo sat there, listening to the chaos which had engulfed the room he sat beside. He was wrong - completely wrong. She had put on a mask to hide her pain, and then she was unleashing it all. Perhaps she was not as heartless and stoic as she tried to be, despite her best efforts.